Gryff of Michigan

When Aparna E. and her husband first talked about getting a dog, they knew they wanted a Corgi.

“We found him through a breeder in Texas, and could tell right from the start that she truly cared about her puppies and the homes they would be sent to.”

“Our pup was raised on a cattle ranch outside of San Antonio, Texas and his parents were show dogs. After a few conversations and the breeder making sure we sounded like a good set of puppy parents, it was all settled that he was going to be ours. We just had to wait until it was OK for him to leave his mom.”

“On March 19, 2009, the day finally arrived. It was time to pick him up at the airport, a day I won’t ever forget. When the baggage guys showed up with a crate in the back of a pickup truck, I knew that was our puppy.”

“The first sight of him made my heart completely melt. Imagine being taken away from your mom, put in crate in cargo in a dark, huge space for over seven hours, and then meeting two people you don’t know in a completely different environment. Our boy had a long day traveling from to Detroit from San Antonio. We cleaned him and his crate up and made sure he was comfortable before heading home.”

“We had a lot of names in mind, so I decided to ask him what name he would like. I said “Cooper” and he made a whiny noise, so that went out the door. I said “Miles” but he laid down and kind of sighed. I called him “Yogi” and he yawned, so we assumed he didn’t like that name. But when I said “Gryff” he became alert and looked right at me. I said it again and he tilted his head. So I guess you could say he picked his own name.”

“His official name with the AKC is Gryffzilla Destroyer of Planets, thanks to two of our friends.”

“I’ve never had a puppy before, so having Gryff has been a real trip and learning experience. My husband had many dogs growing up, but he told me he never had one this young. We were learning together.”

“There was no denying how much we loved him and how close our bond with him became.”

“I think he learned pretty quickly how things work around our house.”

“And it didn’t take long for us to realize how awkward he really was.”